In their opening match against Multan Sultans in Karachi, Lewis Gregory pulled Islamabad United around the line with 49 not out of 31 balls to secure a three-wicket victory with six balls to go.

Mohammad Rizwan helped the Sultans’ total of 150 since they were asked to bat, but having posted the best total of the initial game of the season, they looked short of par, not least after 11 overs, being 92 for 3. The United chase was disrupted in the middle overs by the Shahid Afridi display, as they collapsed to 74 after 11.1 overs for 6, but Gregory’s appearance saw them off.

The United had managed multiple in their first three PSL titles, but for the first time in 2020, it struggled to reach the play-offs, ending at the bottom of the league stages and winning just three of its 10 fixtures. But they drafted well ahead of the whole season, with Alex Hales, Gregory, and Hasan Ali among the star names to join the team, and, while not yet clicking, they began with a victory.